Signature Prime Steak & Seafood is a great restaurant with an awesome view in Ala Moana. I’ve celebrated a few holidays here and whew, I hope you save up if you want to have a good meal here. But what’s great about Signature is…they have a pretty good Happy Hour too! Decided to come early on a weekday to try it out. We came by like 5pm because we heard it gets pretty busy for Happy Hour, and that was true, we got one of the last tables!
Ahi Poke | $12.50 (Happy Hour)
This was good! Nicely seasoned, nice pieces of fish. I enjoyed the addition of avocado. Would have loved some rice with it but there I go being too asian again.
Rustic Truffle Mashed Potatoes (add-on to Prime Rib Eye) | $3.00
Your eyes aren’t fooling you here. Yes, it was only $3 as an add-on to our steak. Pretty generous serving and truffle? Well, I have a thing for truffles so I am all win for this.
Garlic Fries | $7.50 (Happy Hour)
These are one of the best garlic fries I have ever tried. Subtle garlic flavor and very snack-able sized fries. They weren’t too thick nor too thin and was perfectly fried, yes, recommend!!
12 oz. Prime Rib Eye | $25.00 (Happy Hour)
This alone is worth it for Happy Hour. How am I going to drag myself to eat a regular steak in the restaurant for regular price (at least double the cost) when this definitely sufficed. The taste and quality was there, dang, do I have to do senior citizen dinner times for life?
I couldn’t resist. I was still kind of hungry after our food and had get this. A seafood trio for $9.50 sounded like a steal for me. I predicted that it would just be one piece of seafood for each because of the cheap price, I was kind of right! They did give two slices of ahi though, score! The ahi has a sort of wasabi/horseradish cream sauce on it. I enjoyed it! I enjoyed all three and would definitely order this again.
Have you ever tried Peruvian food? My first experience with it was for a dish I made for a cook-off about a year ago. I combined Rotisserie Chicken with a Peruvian Huacatay Salsa which now that I think of it, was quite a risk. I had never tried the sauce before but it came out delicious! I didn’t win the cook-off but it certainly made me a fan of Peruvian food.
Imagine my excitement when I got to try a Peruvian restaurant right here in Hawaii! Mimi’s Place is located on Keeaumoku across from Walmart, let’s check out the food!
Cancha | Peruvian Corn Nuts
Complimentary snack before your food comes out! I can’t say I’m a fan myself, I don’t like corn nuts in general. It’s a bit too hard for my liking but I think if this is your type of thing, you would love it!
Empanadas | $9.00 Home-made traditional empanadas
Mmm…empanadas. Mmm…deep fried meaty goodness. Tasted great! Interesting take? It’s topped with confectioner’s sugar. Huh? I didn’t expect that, is that a thing? I can’t say the sugar did much to influence the taste either…but it was fine!
Ceviche Barrio | $19.00 House ceviche with a spicy lime marinade. Topped with fried seafood.
I have never eaten raw mahi mahi before. I know, I know…the mahi is technically “cooked” through the acid of the ceviche. I’m still gonna say it’s raw…with swimmer’s skin…lol. I enjoyed the dish! So nice and refreshing, I would recommend it!
Seco De Carne (Lamb Style) | $21.00 Slow-cooked traditional cilantro lamb stew
This should tick all my boxes. Sorry, it didn’t. Would have loved the lamb to be fall off the bone kine tender…was kind of dry and stringy. I’m not a fan of beans so that’s off my radar there. And yes, it was $21 for that one piece of meat. Sorry, I don’t plan to order this dish again.
Arroz Con Pollo | $17.00 Traditional slow-cooked cilantro rice with chicken
YAY…okay I will say…I love that cilantro plays a big part in their cooking. For those who hate cilantro, I don’t think the cilantro flavor is strong at all. And even if there is cilantro, it’s cooked down in the dishes so you won’t get the strong raw cilantro flavor anyway. I just love braised chicken thighs…and this was nicely flavored…and cilantro rice? Well, I’ll just keep my mouth open and you can shovel it straight in. Delicious. I would recommend this dish!
Parking? Hmm, a bit tricky. I don’t think they are part of the Samsung Plaza’s vendors (that lot is a nightmare anyway!). My friend parked at Ross and decided to buy something to get validation. I am Chinese and parked at Walmart – break the rules and no have to buy anything. Hahaha just try to park more creatively (i.e. probably not first floor).
Our division at work had a Tea Party the other week! This tea party was a cook-off competition with the proceeds going towards a charity. I always try to participate in the cook-off to support a good cause and of course the competition itself! With the help of a few colleagues, we did a great job! Actually, we won the best savory category! I had an idea for this dish and yes it’s been done before but I never executed myself before.
We made salad in won ton cups, finger food perfect for the tea party! I was a bit particular about this dish. I wanted the won ton cups to be perfectly light and crisp…and the won ton pi they sell in stores are generally too thick. So, I made a trek out to Chinatown because Yat Tung Chow Noodle Factory has an “extra thin and extra small for soup” won ton pi. LOL…I went into this not knowing what to expect. Well it was cheap and the customer service was stellar (just kidding about the second part). Well the pi worked out great! It fits perfectly in the mini muffin tins and it is thinner than most pi so it worked perfectly for my recipe. Check out the pics below! I’ll post the various dishes from the cook-off too!
Asian Crunch Bites Any suggestions for a new name? Haha…salad in a cup didn’t sound too great. But this name is a bit too ambiguous.
Best Sweets Winner! Look at how beautiful this dessert is! Tasted great too! Definitely a worthy winner.
Wagashi
I have to give this contestant SO MUCH CREDIT. Sorry to the sweets winner, but I voted for this dessert as the winner. This person made these wagashi sweets all by hand and I’m sorry I don’t have all the pictures but she made different fruit shapes for each (the effort, food coloring, etc.!). The time and effort put in…is amazing. I grabbed this one. And yes, she individually packaged each one too!
You’ve heard of Tonkatsu Tamafuji right? You must have. It’s the most popular tonkatsu restaurant in Hawaii. Time your visit wrong and you could be waiting almost 2 hours to get in! Knowing this, I decided to come in right before 5 on a weekday. And guess what? I actually got a table right away! The restaurant was already pretty full though which is crazy. People were eating dinner from 4pm, talk about senior citizen mealtime right?
So how was it? Definitely worth it. The service was amazing and the food was DELICIOUS. I don’t get hankerings for tonkatsu but when I do, I would definitely stand in line to eat here, it’s worth it! Check it out!
Miso Soup | White miso with clams and green onions
You get your choice of miso soup with your meal! The options are either red or white miso and either clams and green onions or tofu & seaweed. Delicious!
Complimentary Tsukemono | Must use tongs!
From left to right: pickled cabbage (no good, not pickled enough yet – eat if you like the taste of raw cabbage), daikon (surprisingly good and my definite favorite!), umeboshi (I didn’t eat this one but it certainly looked good!)
Roasted Sesame Seeds
Get ready to “smoosh” your sesame seeds with the mortar and pestle! Just go for it until it becomes a chunky paste. You then add the tonkatsu sauces they have on your table to make your dipping sauce!
Jyukusei Pork Loin Katsu Set (180 g) | $21.00
This was my dish and O.M.G…delicious. Absolutely heaven. The pork is so tender and juicy, the panko crust is light and crunchy. There is a sign in the restaurant that says…they make their own panko! Well done! Did I say I don’t have a hankering for tonkatsu? I certainly am having a hankering as I type this…
Oyster Katsu (3pcs) and Pork Tender Loin (2pcs) Set | $23.50
This wasn’t my dish but oh man, I would totally get this next time. I got to try an oyster and I love oysters and it was delish! Love the tartar sauce that comes with the oysters and you get two pieces of pork too! Great deal. I didn’t even get to talk about their rice choices! You get three, Hokkaido Rice (white rice), Seasoned mixed rice, and Five grain rice, and the rice is unlimited. I got the Hokkaido Rice because I wanted a plain rice for my tonkotsu drenched in katsu sauce…delicious!
Seoul Tofu House opened a few months ago and I couldn’t help but salivate from the pictures I saw popping up on social media! I love myself a good soondubu…and a good Korean meal in general! This restaurant is located in Waikiki, right next door to the International Marketplace. I don’t think they have their own parking option. I parked at the International Marketplace and bought something from Mitsuwa to get parking validation. If you spend $10 at any store in the marketplace, you can get a validation for 1 hour free parking. Good deal! So how was the restaurant?
Look at this handy notch on the chairs! Why don’t all chairs have this??
Cucumber Salad | $3.50 sliced cucumbers tossed in a sesame oil dressing
I’m always excited to try smashed cucumbers at restaurants. This one was a thumbs down for me unfortunately. While I don’t expect complete marination since it’s a fresh cucumber dish – there was not enough seasoning in this dish. Maybe a bit more salt would have made it better.
Grilled Spicy Chicken with Cheese | $24.50 (bansang: complete meal) juicy chicken thighs that are marinated in a fiery Housemade Gochujang paste. It is grilled, sauteed, and then served with onions and kabocha pumpkin, and then topped with mozzarella cheese and aonori
This dish was surprisingly delicious. While I like dishes like this, it’s not something I order usually. Well, this dish certainly changed my mind. Their sauce is delicious! Yes, a bit spicy (but not really to me) but it has a great sweetness to it too. Definitely a homemade sauce from the restaurant, I loved it. I would recommend it!
Grilled Short Rib Patties | $20.25 (bansang) 100% all natural local Kunoa Beef special blend patties that are seared, grilled, and then glazed in a unagi sauce. they are topped with dried jujube (red date) and crushed pine nuts.
Good dish! A definite winner with kids. I don’t know about the unagi sauce description, just tasted like a nice savory teriyaki-ish burger patties!
Marinated Grilled Short Ribs | $28.99 (bansang) savory and grilled to perfection, these short ribs are marinated in a traditional Korean BBQ-style soy based sauce. it is served with sauteed onions, mushrooms, and roasted garlic
Look, can you ever go wrong with kalbi? Definitely not. Was it worth $29? Probably not, it did taste good though.
Seafood Soondubu | $13.99 (all soondubu are bansang) soondubu is traditional spicy soft tofu soup. made with 24 hour beef broth served in a hot stone pot that is sure to warm the soul. filled with your favorite ingredients and topped with green onions, enoki mushrooms, and sliced chile
The grand finale, my dish!! They’re known for soondubu so of course I had to get it. And look at the cost! Only $14 for the full meal and it’s for the seafood one. They were pretty generous with the seafood too. The broth had a nice deep flavor, would definitely recommend it. The service was great when I went and the food came out fast. Give it a try!
One of my favorite cuisines is Vietnamese Food. If I am ever feeling under the weather, Pho is the dish I crave most. Color me surprised that we only tried two Vietnamese Restaurants during this trip, although the trip wasn’t all that long. I’ll cover both restaurants in this post.
Mango Tango | $3.95 black tea with mango, passion fruit coconut jelly
Garlic Noodles with Grilled Jumbo Shrimp | $15.00
Okay, I just realized that I went to two Vietnamese restaurants and didn’t eat pho in either one. What was I thinking? Well if you think I have any regrets, I have none. These garlic noodles with shrimp were so delicious. Mmm…what a send-off of a meal. The drink? Perfect! I really wish I had found this restaurant earlier in the trip because I am sure we would have given it a second visit.
Hands down, one of my favorite meals in California. The service at Ong Ga Nae Korean BBQ started off awful, but I honestly go to Korean restaurants expecting that. Anyway, we were there a bit early. Found street parking luckily so we didn’t have to use valet parking, whew! We were initially served by two males and they did not seem like they liked being waiters, lol. But let me tell you, as our meal progressed, a female waitress came on duty and made up for the entire meal. She was so incredibly sweet and helped us cook all our meats. I was too busy eating and didn’t spend enough time taking pictures…
BAN CHAN LIFE
Special Combo A (serves 2) | $59.99 marinated beef rib, pork belly, chicken bulgogi, prime beef brisket
Yukhoe (Beef Tartare) | $not cheap
I wish I had more details on this. I tried to find it on their menu but it was a picture on their wall and it doesn’t look like it’s part of their printed menu? I have wanted to try this for a long long long time. You don’t really find this dish here because it’s beef tartare. I really wish we had it here, this dish was to die for. It was so much meat but I had to have it. And we couldn’t take it out, understandably, so I really had to try to eat it all. Beautiful beef, korean pear, pine nuts, sesame oil, and may other ingredients. It just came together to make the perfect dish. I certainly didn’t need the other BBQ meats with this dish. I know for next time…maybe a soup and this dish. Ughhh…I wish I could eat this again! Sooner than later!
What trip to LA is complete without a visit to Disneyland? I’ll let you in on a little secret, this was my first trip to Disneyland. Yes, seriously. I didn’t have much travels as a kid and when we did travel, it was to the homeland, not the mainland. I’ve been to other Disney parks but was excited to check California out! We decided to check out both Disneyland and California Adventure Park…and boy am I glad we did. I didn’t know this beforehand but did you know…Disney celebrates Lunar New Year??
There was a gentleman there writing these on the spot by request! Well not completely by request, you had to choose a character from their list. I chose luck!
Lunar New Year ears. Yes, I bought it. And yes, I took pictures with Mickey and Minnie in their Lunar New Year clothes!
Can’t be a visit to Disney without seeing the castle…oh wait…umm…
Award Wieners – California Adventure Park
Spicy City Dog | $9.79 Cheddar-Jalapeño Sausage topped with Chipotle Crema, Queso Fresco and Pico de Gallo with Filmstrip Fries
A Cheesy Celebration | $9.99 Cheddar Sausage Link with creamy Macaroni and Cheese, Salsa Verde, crumbled spicy Cheese Puffs, and Cheese Curds on a Toasted Bun with Filmstrip Fries
I can only comment on the cheesy celebration because this was my dog. Did I tell you I am lactose intolerant? Was this a good choice? Probably not. I was lured by the cheesiness of it. Was it good? Ehhh…for all the flavors named, it was quite a plain dog. They just threw everything on top and it was all just…empty calories and not worth them either!
Broken Rice is a fairly new Vietnamese restaurant in Kaimuki. I’ve read some good reviews for this restaurant and was excited to try it! At first I thought we had to make reservations because I expected it to be busy. Honestly, we got there on a Saturday at about 6pm and it was fairly empty. Luckily, they got a few more diners as we were finishing up, whew.
Spring Rolls | $9.00
shrimp, pork, carrots, mushroom, long rice, onions.
Typical spring rolls you find at every Vietnamese restaurant, nothing special but it is delicious!
Crab Fried Rice | $18.00
king crab, pork sausage, egg and green onion
Hmm, starting to realize this is the second fried rice post this week. Haha, but I promise these restaurant visits were spread apart a few weeks. It was good! $18 good? Well not really now that I’ve had the Chengdu Style Fried Rice.
Shaking Beef | $19.00
cubed rib-eye steak, garlic, soy sauce, with house slaw.
Beef Rib Pho | $18.00
beef brisket and beef rib, flat rice noodle.
Okay, I can only comment on the Beef Rib Pho because this was my dish. One caveat, I was sick when I ate here so my taste buds were a bit compromised. I think I would have really enjoyed this pho had I not been sick. They give you two big chunks of beef ribs so it was nice and beefy…a bit too rich and fatty for my tastes since I wasn’t feeling great. You can see the oily soup so that’s my only complaint – if it was a less fatty, this would be fabulous!
Piggy Smalls is the sister restaurant of The Pig and the Lady. They are located in Ward Center, I don’t have much of a summary to give here, let’s get to the pictures and full review!
Snap Pea Limeade | $5.00
I love when restaurants offer great non-alcoholic drinks. I enjoy alcoholic drinks from time to time but generally don’t handle it as well as others. This was a really light and refreshing drink and not too sweet. I enjoyed it!
Oh. My. God. Drool…this dish was AMAZING. I enjoyed all three dips immensely. The eggplant dip was great, you could taste the miso, the yuzu and the amazing smokiness. There was a sweetness to this dip and you can’t even tell that this is eggplant!
The roasted beets were great too, I love the taste of fresh beets and the horseradish notes came through but not so strong that my sinuses got cleared, lol.
The favorite of course was the TRUFFLE SHUFFLE. I’m a fool for truffle so this dip was heavenly. The porcini bits mixed with black truffle? If I could have licked the serving dish clean, I would have. I actually I would have but didn’t think of it at the restaurant. Definitely recommend this dish, but if I were to return, I would probably just get the truffle shuffle dip because I loved it so much.
I believe I had this dish during a previous visit months ago but it was somewhat of a different preparation. First, I’m excited to know that even though they make changes to their menu from time to time, they kept this dish on. Perfectly cooked pork belly with a perfect ring of crisp skin. Mmm…so good. The raisin and caper sauce on top complemented it nicely! The grains and herbs were just okay in my opinion.
Crunchy, Sour, Salty, Sweet | $13.00 Add Chopped Steak | $9.00 various raw vegetables, pickled raisins, ricotta salata, green olive & medjool date vinaigrette
Chopped Steak
Here is a instance of where we saw this salad from our neighboring diners and got hooked in by how pretty it looked. They both gave their thumbs up to it so we ordered it…and hefted it up with some chopped steak.
Okay first of all, this salad is chock full of vegetables (well, duh). But…it was full of a variety of radishes and while I enjoy radishes, this was just far too much. There were barely any leafy greens/young herbs so I felt like I just kept chewing on radish after radish after radish after radish, you get the idea. My suggestion would be to add some sliced fresh beets, more greens and some fresh goat cheese…the salad would be far more balanced and more yum!
The chopped steak, I didn’t expect this, was DELICIOUS. I think the waiter said the steak is marinated in some kind of balsamic sauce…I feel like I tasted a type of Worcestershire sauce. Doesn’t matter, the steak was cooked perfectly and was super tender. The savory taste of the steak was great, $9 for this as a side to the salad was a deal. Should ask if they could sell me the steak for $9…lol
Frozen S’mores | $9.00 chocolate sorbet, house made graham crackers, bruleed marshmallow fluff
Jelly Donut Softserve | $8.00 powdered sugar donut custard topped with our seasonal homemade jam (lemon cranberry)
I can only comment on this Jelly Donut Softserve because this was my dessert. Get ready because I was not happy but it was not entirely their fault. I guess I got too excited and didn’t really read this title or description but I expected a jelly donut with the lemon cranberry flavor of the month as the jelly.
Oh boy, I did not expect it to be a donut softserve with the lemon cranberry sauce on top. One thing I didn’t know also is that they add sprinkles. I hate sprinkles. I know, I know. What kind of monster hates sprinkles? Well, that’s me. Never been into it and correct me if I’m wrong, aren’t they not supposed to be chalky? These sprinkles were SO chalky, I couldn’t enjoy it. So it was hard to enjoy this dessert when I had in mind a donut coming my way (my fault) and then getting this. I’m not a huge fan of vanilla type softserve (which I couple this one into) so I gotta give a thumbs down. But…there is a lemon cake on their menu that I do want to try next time so there is always hope!
